Vehicle door checkers are used to hold vehicle doors in one of a number of desired positions, such as three quarters of the way opened and fully opened. Most vehicle door checkers include an arm that is attached at a first end to the frame or body, via a pivotable mount. When the door is fully opened, the second, opposite, end of the arm is inside of a housing that is attached to the vehicle door, while a middle portion of the arm between the first and second ends is located between the housing and the pivotable mount. As the door is closed, the housing slides over the arm, starting from the second end of the arm through the middle portion, toward the first end of the arm.
The arm includes a series of notches along the length of the middle portion that correspond to desired holding positions of the door. As the housing moves over the arm, a slider held within the housing rides along the surface of the arm. The slider is biased against the arm, typically by a helical spring, so that when a notch or peak is encountered, contact is maintained between the slider and arm. An additional amount of force applied to the door is required to move the arm past the slider when either a peak or notch of the arm is encountered. Thus, in such a position, the door is held in place until the extra amount of force is applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,570 to Lezuch et al. discloses a door checker that further includes a rubber or foam-like cylinder that is used as a dampening member inside the helical type springs of the housing.
In the art, housings are typically mounted on the inside of the vehicle door. In this position, the housing is subject to the intrusion of water. Because vehicles are used outdoors and often stored outdoors, water that enters the housing in liquid form is susceptible to freezing. Expansion during freezing can cause failure of the housing and prevent the components inside the housing from moving. The foam cylinder of the Lezuch et al. patent does not prevent water from accumulating in the housing. What is desired is an effective water dam to prevent accumulation of water in the housing of a typical vehicle door checker.